Most drivers wearing seat belts, says Police<\/p>\n
Evi Mariani and Bambang Nurbianto, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The first day of the enforcement of seat belt use in the capital
\nsaw over 80 percent of motorists complying with the regulation,
\naccording to Jakarta Police' reports.<\/p>\n
Despite the positive response, traffic police still warned 235
\nviolators during their operation in a number of areas in Greater
\nJakarta, covering Jakarta, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.<\/p>\n
\"I'm glad to see the high awareness of drivers. Based on
\nreports from on-duty officers today, more than 80 percent of
\ndrivers were wearing seat belts,\" said the Jakarta Police traffic
\ndivision chief Sr. Comr. Sulistyo Ishak on Wednesday. \"Even in
\nPamulang, Tangerang, 80 percent of drivers also wore seat belts.\"<\/p>\n
An traffic policeman at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle,
\nBrig. Mardiyanto, said he observed around 10 drivers flouting the
\nregulation in an hour.<\/p>\n
The number of offenders was much lower compared to the first
\nday of the extended three-in-one traffic restriction on Jan. 26
\nwith 780 violators.<\/p>\n
Sulistyo admitted that enforcement was still lenient.<\/p>\n
\"Our target is not the number of tickets issued, but how to
\nraise motorists awareness of their own safety,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Law No. 14\/1992 on traffic stipulates that drivers and front
\nseat passengers of private cars and taxis are required to wear
\nseat belts. The law stipulates that violators will be fined a
\nmaximum of Rp 1 million (US$115.6) or face one month in prison.<\/p>\n
Six years after the endorsement of the law, the government
\nplanned to make wearing seat belts mandatory, but people objected
\nto the plan.<\/p>\n
The government launched a trial period to enforce the policy
\non Nov. 5, 2003.<\/p>\n
Owners of old vehicles, whose cars are not fitted with seat
\nbelts, were given until Nov. 5, 2005 to install them.<\/p>\n
Mardiyanto and other on-duty officers said they were only
\nordered to reprimand violators but not to ticket them.<\/p>\n
A similar statement came from Second Brig. Toto S., who was on
\nduty at Jl. K.S. Tubun intersection in Central Jakarta and Second
\nBrig. Joko Baruaji at Pancoran intersection in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Mardiyanto said they were still waiting for instructions to
\nticket violators.<\/p>\n
Both Joko and Mardiyanto said only a few motorists were not
\nwearing them, arguing that they were not used to doing so.<\/p>\n
The percentage of seat belt users in narrow streets or remote
\nareas would be lower, Sulistyo said.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Police traffic division law enforcement unit chief
\nComr. Naufal Yahya said the police would study the effectiveness
\nof wearing seat belts in preventing fatalities on the road over a
\nthree-month period.<\/p>\n
He referred to studies in other countries like New Zealand,
\nGermany, Japan and England that revealed seat belts saved 40
\npercent of traffic accidents victims.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, police in Padang, West Sumatra, ticketed 769
\ndrivers who were not wearing seat belts during a month-long
\noperation, Antara reported.<\/p>\n
Offenders will be fined between Rp 20,000 and Rp 27,000, much
\nlower than the maximum fine of Rp 1 million.<\/p>\n
In Bandung, West Java, the number of drivers wearing seat
\nbelts increased although the police did not reveal detailed
\nfigures. Despite Wednesday being the first day of its
\nimplementation, police did not ticket any violators.<\/p>\n
\"Perhaps we will start ticketing offenders tomorrow (Thursday)
\nin a special operation,\" said Chief Brig. Murdaya, who was seen
\non duty on Jl. Soekarno Hatta.<\/p>\n
\"Wearing seat belts shows drivers' awareness of their own
\nsafety. It also demonstrates their discipline on the road,\" said
\nWest Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Muryan Faisal Saladin.<\/p>",
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